Numbering machine



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' E. P. TEAL.

NUMBERING MACHINE. No. 536,448. Patented Mar. 26, 1895.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. P. TEAL.

NUMBERING MAGHINE. No. 536,448. Patented Mar. 26, 1895.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3. E. P. TEAL.

NUMBERING MACHINE. N0. 536,448. Patented Mar. 26, 1895.

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E. P. TEAL.

NUMBERING MACHINE. No. 536,448. Patented Mar. 26, 1895.

O l/Xx WIIWZ'SSES ZWTEW'Z 02? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN PERCY TEAL, OF UPPER DARBY, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLOBE TICKET COMPANY,OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

NUMBERlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536, 448, dated March26, 1895.

App i fl i ll fil d December 12,1893. Serial No. 493,502. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN PERCY TEAL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Upper Darby township, in the county of Delaware and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inNumbering-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to numbering machines of that class in which aseries of disks is operated to print upon material passed beneath, andis capable of producing consecutively printed or stamped impressionsfrom O to 99 with two disks, to 999 with three disks, 9,999 with fourandso on; or alternately, O, 2, 4, 6, &c., or 1, 3, 5,7, 850., as required,starting and stopping at any predetermined numbers. A previous practicein this class of machines has been, to utilize the movement whichproduces the impression to change from one number to another. Thismethod of changing the disks limits the speed at which the machine maybe operated. In order to overcome this objection and others arising fromsuch form of construction, I have devised the mechanism shown intheaocompanying drawings.

The invention consists in providing means for changing the numbers orcharacters to be impressed by the head which means operate independentof the motion of the head required to make an impression.

The invention also consists in providing means for releasing or throwingoutof action the pawls controlling the motion of the type wheels.

It also consists in the combination of parts and details of constructionillustrated in the accompanying drawings and set forth in the followingdescription.

It will be understood that while I have shown and described what I deemto be the best method of carrying out my invention that manymodifications of construction could be devised by any one skilled in theart which would be substantially similar to the construction shown, andtherefore, could be broadly considered as coming within the scope ofthis invention.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan of the head with themechanism for givingit motion as a whole and of the independentmechanism for changing the disks of the head. Fig. 1, is a plan view ofthe head with the disks removed and showing the actuating and retainingpawls and the lifting device for throwing the actuating pawls out ofoperative contact with the disks. Fig. 2, is a front elevation with thedisks in position. Fig. 3, is a sectional view on line 3, 3, of Figs.

1 and 2. Fig. 4, is an elevation of the l1un= dreds disk. Figs. 5, 6 and7 are respectively sections through the units, tens and hundreds disks.Figs. 8 and 9, are front and rear elevations of a usual form of disk incombination with which are shown inserted and detachable types. Fig. 10,is a detail of the device for lifting the changing pawls. Fig. 10 is across section through the line 1O 10 of Fig. 10. Figll isasection on theline 111l of Fig. 3.

In the drawings: A, represents a spindle fixed within a moving head B.Upon the spindle A, are carried disks a, 19,0, having the sleevedportions a, b and 0 telescoped together and capable of frictionalrotation independently of each other. Each of these disks carries uponprojecting lugs, a b and 0*, 8o Figs. 5, 6 and 7, ten type characters;one disk, as a, carrying figures representing units, disk 1),representing tens, and disk 0 representing hundreds. Each of the diskscarries on a sleeve projecting from the same, a ratchet disk at b and crigidly secured thereto, and adapted to be moved by a series of pawls a6 0 mounted upon a stud 0, carried by an arm H, mounted upon anoscillating shaft E, carried within the spindle A, and having at 0 oneend a universal joint E, by means of which it is connected to arotatable shaft F, mounted in fixed bearings and from which motion maybe transmitted to the arm and ratchets. The pawls a 1) and 0 are held in5 contact with the ratchets by springs a, and have rearwardly projectingends d, by means of which they may be lifted from contact with thedisks.

Mounted in the arm II, and projecting be- Too low the ends, is placed akey D, of cylindrical form, one half of which is cut away, and which ismounted to rotate in a tube D within which it is locked by a pin d whichengages a notch d in the said key as seen best in Fig. 10, the said keyhaving a slight endwise movement and the key or locking pin beingretained in its seat by the action of a spiral spring a surrounding thekey between its head and the arm H. In order to lift the pawls and throwthem out of contact, the key is given a half turn, which brings itscylindrical portion against the projecting ends of the pawls, andthereby lifts them from contact with the ratchets. The arm H is carriedby the sleeve H which embraces the outer end of the shaft E and isprovided with the ears to to receive the bolt to by which it is clampedin position.

Projecting from the frame B, is a stud g, preferably square in crosssection, and rounded at that portion which is held within the head B, sothat it may be capable of revolution upon its axis in order to adjustthe retaining pawls f, which are carried at its outer end upon a fixedpin f, and held in contact with the ratchets a, b and c of the disks (1,b and c by means of curved springs f The stud is secured within the headB, by a pointed set screw, g by means of which the position of theretaining pawls in relation to the disks is maintained.

Referring to the units, tens and hundreds disks, it will be noted thatas they rotate through the action of the pawls it will be necessaryafter the units disk has made ten steps to carry the motion from it tothe tens, and similarly from the tens to the hundreds. For the purposeof effecting this movement, I provide acylindrical surface K adjacent toeach ratchet disk (except the last of the series) and having one notch Kcorresponding with zero. As the actuating mechanism moves the units diskstep by step, this notch will be brought into line with the second pawl11 controlling the tens disk, which will thus be dropped into positionto move the tens disk one step the pawl riding said cylindrical surfaceK until it reaches the notch K when it acts upon the adjacent ratchet. Asimilar action occurs when the tens disk has been rotated ten steps,thereby carrying the motion to the hundreds disk and so on.

Referring now to the disks carrying the independent characters indicatedby m and n, it will be seen that these disks are carried upon the samesleeve,and adjacentto the numbering disks, said sleeve, being surroundedby a notched ring L having the notches Zas seen best in Fig. 11 and uponwhich the disks rotate. The printing characters for these disks and forthe numbering disks also, I prefer to make removable. The method ofholding the types in position is clearly indicated in the drawings, N, Nbeing removable sections consisting of a body upon which the charactersare formed and tongues n n adapted to be inserted within grooves n inthe projections of the disk provided for the purpose, pins 97. beingpassed through to secure the types in position. A notch S is provided ineach of the ratchet disks by means of which the respective number disksmay be held in such a position that the numbers will. have no contactwith the working surface, thereby producing no impression.

For the purpose of repeating a given impression and facilitating themanual or initial adjustment of the disks, it is necessary only to turnthe key which lifts the pawls out of contact with their respectiveratchets. This will make the motion ineffective, thus repeatingany givenimpression.

It now remains to describe a mechanism for giving the numbering head amotion to and from the printing or impression surface and the means forchanging the disks of the numbering head so that it shall print numbersin succession or other desired series. The head B is in this instancemounted at each eX- tremity on a rotating crank O mounted on a shaft 0carried in fixed bearings O and provided with pinions O which maybearranged to mesh with any suitable gearing of a printing press. Thisgear may be on the shaft of the impression cylinder of the press towhich the numbering head is applied. This gear would be in the verticalplane embraced in the dotted lines 2 Fig. 1. Each of the crank arms 0are in this instance provided with counterbalanced or weighted ends 0which serve to render the rotation of the head B smooth and even. Ashereinafter suggested a motion of a different character may be given tothe head 13 and the mechanism which it carries, the only essential beingthat the motion is employed to carry it to and from the impressioncylinder in order to print thereon. When properly proportioned and timedthe mechanism thus far described will cause the numbering and characterheads to make impressions during the rotation of the impression cylinderin a continuous succession and with a frequency proportioned to thediameters of the pinions and the gear above men tioned. The shaft F isconnected with the shaft E by a universal joint E which consists in thisinstance of the well known gimbal joints E E and one member of each isformed at each end of the connecting shaft E The center of motion ofthis shaft where it connects with the shaft F is opposite the center ofmotion of the head B and its opposite end of that end connected withsaid head always travels on a circle which is the base of the conedescribed by the shaft E so that although shown as possible still it isnot essential that there be a longitudinal movement of or along the lineof the shaft E nor any provision for such a movement in the connectionof said shaft with the shaft E or the shaft F.

On the side of the impression cylinder gear above mentioned there isprovided a cam P, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, for the purposeof operating a rock-shaft Q carrying a pinion Q adapted to mesh with apinion Q fixed to the shaft F. The bearings for said shafts are shown atQ and Q respectively and these are fixedly connected with the machine inany desired manner. The shaft F carries a rock arm R which is normallyheld by a spring It in contact with the stud R but which spring permitsa partial rotation of the shaft-F in a direction that will lift therock-arm R away from the pin R the functions of the spring being toretain the rockarm and the parts operatively connected therewith to anormal position after being operated as about to be described.

On the shaft Q there is mounted a rock arm S carrying an anti-frictionroller S. This roller lies in the path of the cam P of which there maybe any desired number on the cylinder gear, so that as each cam passesbeneath the roller it is raised, the shaft Q is partially rotated andthis motion is conveyed by the pinion Q to the pinion Q and by that tothe shaft F to lift the rock-arm as described and to give motion totheratchet operating pawls a b and c and thus change the disks of thenumbering head to print numbers in successive series. When it is desiredto print numbers in intermittent series, such as 1, 3, 5, &c.,additional cams P (see dotted lines Fig. 1) are provided which givetwice the movement to the rock arm S as does the cam P thereforecommunicating through the parts described including the shaft E twicethe movement to the pawls a 19 and 0 In this case the set screw S in thehead of the rock arm S is loosened and the said arm is moved outwardlyon the shaft Q so as to bring the roller S into the path of said cam Pwhere it is secured by the said set screw.

Referring now to Fig. 11 each of the character disks is provided with anannular space 'm (see Figs. 3 and 9 and dotted lines in Fig. 8) in whichare arranged a detent and its spring. The detent M (Fig. 11) is offsetso as to operate within opening m and to come in contact with thegroovesl of the ring or sleeve L which is held against rotation by thepins L projecting through a relatively fixed part and into the ring asshown in Fig. 3. The detent is pivoted at m on a pivot seated in theopening an, Fig. 8. The detent has a recessed heel m upon which bears aspring m compressed against a pin m seated in openings on Fig. 8 andsecured to a pin m at its opposite end seated in the opening m, Fig. 8.By this'construction the character disks can be rotated upon the sleeveby hand and retained in an adjusted position by its detent.

It will be seen that by the construction adopted all of the operatingparts are within reach of the attendant, that the disks are readilyremovable, that the working parts can be made larger than where theoperating pawls are carried inside their disks and that the constructiongenerally is simplified. The head, by which is meant the completecombination of the parts effecting the operation of number disks,(including the said disks) is usually carried and has motion imparted toit, by a slide or arm having a reciprocating motion but the presentinvention is intended to be applied equally well to all other forms ofmotion. Again the motion from which the disks are operated or setautomatically, is usually incidental to the primary motion producing theimpression; but a peculiarity of the present invention consists inchanging the number disks to print different numbers byamotionindependent of, and it may be at a slower rate of speed than would beincidental to this primary action, it having been found by experience,that the latter connection limits the speed of accurate operation. Bythe use of universal joints or a flexible connection independent andintermittent motion will be imparted to the head from an independentshaft without distortion.

I have shown one form of mechanism for independently changing the numberdisks by a movement separate and independent from the printing movementof the head but I do not limit my invention to the particular mechanicalconnecting devices shown and described as it is apparent that other wellknown power conveying and motion giving mechanisms can be substitutedtherefor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a numberingmachine, the combination of a spindle fixed within a moving head, diskstelescopically arranged on said spindle, a shaft within said spindle,pawls supported upon said shaft and means connected. with said shaft foractuating the pawls, substantially as specified.

2. In a numbering machine, the combination with the spindle and a shafttherein, of number and character disks on said spindle, pawls mounted tobe operated by the movement of the shaft to engage the number disks,substantially as specified.

3. The combination with the spindle and shaft of the pawls, carried bysaid shaft and having rearwardlyprojectingends,thesprings acting uponsaid pawls and a locking pin mounted for rotation and having a portionthereof substantially semi -cylindrical in shape said locking pin beingmounted for endwise movement and havinga notch to engage a stop pin,substantially as specified.

4. In a numbering machine, the combination of a spindle fixed within amoving head, disks arranged on said spindle, a shaft within the spindleand pawls supported upon said shaft and constructed and arranged to beactuated by the movement thereof, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN PERCY TEAL.

Witnesses:

EDW. E. FITLER, GEORGE A. YUNGER.

